American reaction wasn't favourable when the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) said in August that it was going to close down operations next spring at three land-border crossings with the U. S, including two south of Montreal.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security didn't like the prospect of one-way border crossings, where people can get into the U.S., but not into Canada.
Complicating the issue was the fact that at two of the three border stations, including one of the two south of Montreal, the corresponding American stations had been undergoing expensive modernization.
Ever since the CBSA announcement, those upgrades have been put on hold and the U.S. has asked Canada to consider sharing the two U.S. facilities being upgraded.
That request, though, has sparked a more wide-ranging discussion between the two countries about the future of separate border stations at small crossings in general.
In August, the CBSA said it wants to close down its Franklin Centre and Jamieson's Line border stations south of Montreal, as well as a third station on the Saskatchewan-Montana border.
On the American side of the Franklin Centre crossing, in Churbubusco, N.Y., U.S. Customs and Border Protection is in the midst of a $6.7-million upgrade of its own border station. The agency doesn't want to see that money go to waste as a result of the Canadian closing of the Franklin Centre station.
There is no modernization work being done on the American side of the other border crossing south of Montreal affected by CBSA's August announcement -that crossing might end up closing completely.
This crossing, which the CBSA calls the Jamieson's Line crossing, links the Quebec hamlet of Powerscourt with the New York town of North Burke.
Although the practice of Canadian and American border officers working out of the same building -as opposed to separate buildings 100 or 200 metres away -is rare, there are, in fact, precedents for it. And the practice seems to work with no problems.
Canada and the U.S. currently share six border stations at relatively low-traffic crossings. All of these crossings are in Western Canada except for one -the Noyon/ Alburg, Vt. crossing south of Montreal.
While visiting Montana in August, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano said it might be possible to persuade Canada to work out of the U.S. facility being modernized at the small Montana-Saskatchewan crossing targeted by CBSA's August closure announcement.
Last month, Raphael Lemaitre, an official with the Department of Homeland Security, told The Gazette the U.S. wanted "to explore alternatives with CBSA to enable the continued facilitation of two-way traffic."
Those exploratory talks have now begun, said Sabrina Mehes, a CBSA official. In fact, she said, the future of "all smaller crossings" between the two countries are up for talks.
In addition to the three border stations slated by the CBSA for closure next April, four other small stations, including three in Quebec, are to see their operating hours reduced by CBSA next spring.
Those three are the Glen Sutton and East Pinnacle stations in the Eastern Townships, and Morses Line station near the huge Phillipsburg/ Highgate Springs, Vt. crossing.
Read more: U.S. wants to share border stations
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security didn't like the prospect of one-way border crossings, where people can get into the U.S., but not into Canada.
Complicating the issue was the fact that at two of the three border stations, including one of the two south of Montreal, the corresponding American stations had been undergoing expensive modernization.
Ever since the CBSA announcement, those upgrades have been put on hold and the U.S. has asked Canada to consider sharing the two U.S. facilities being upgraded.
That request, though, has sparked a more wide-ranging discussion between the two countries about the future of separate border stations at small crossings in general.
In August, the CBSA said it wants to close down its Franklin Centre and Jamieson's Line border stations south of Montreal, as well as a third station on the Saskatchewan-Montana border.
On the American side of the Franklin Centre crossing, in Churbubusco, N.Y., U.S. Customs and Border Protection is in the midst of a $6.7-million upgrade of its own border station. The agency doesn't want to see that money go to waste as a result of the Canadian closing of the Franklin Centre station.
There is no modernization work being done on the American side of the other border crossing south of Montreal affected by CBSA's August announcement -that crossing might end up closing completely.
This crossing, which the CBSA calls the Jamieson's Line crossing, links the Quebec hamlet of Powerscourt with the New York town of North Burke.
Although the practice of Canadian and American border officers working out of the same building -as opposed to separate buildings 100 or 200 metres away -is rare, there are, in fact, precedents for it. And the practice seems to work with no problems.
Canada and the U.S. currently share six border stations at relatively low-traffic crossings. All of these crossings are in Western Canada except for one -the Noyon/ Alburg, Vt. crossing south of Montreal.
While visiting Montana in August, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano said it might be possible to persuade Canada to work out of the U.S. facility being modernized at the small Montana-Saskatchewan crossing targeted by CBSA's August closure announcement.
Last month, Raphael Lemaitre, an official with the Department of Homeland Security, told The Gazette the U.S. wanted "to explore alternatives with CBSA to enable the continued facilitation of two-way traffic."
Those exploratory talks have now begun, said Sabrina Mehes, a CBSA official. In fact, she said, the future of "all smaller crossings" between the two countries are up for talks.
In addition to the three border stations slated by the CBSA for closure next April, four other small stations, including three in Quebec, are to see their operating hours reduced by CBSA next spring.
Those three are the Glen Sutton and East Pinnacle stations in the Eastern Townships, and Morses Line station near the huge Phillipsburg/ Highgate Springs, Vt. crossing.
Read more: U.S. wants to share border stations
